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It's little things that will make fuel cells integral to daily life
Vancouver, February 22, 2005 — The most exciting moment of yesterday's media conference to announce $2 million in provincial funding for hydrogen and fuel-cell innovation was the unveiling of a simple flashlight.
The 15-centimetre device looked like anything you might buy at Canadian Tire, but the room was abuzz when told the flashlight was powered by a tiny hydrogen fuel cell.
B.C. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Strategy steering team chairman Denis Connor showed off the futuristic flashlight to underline the fact that hydrogen technology will be integral to other parts of our lives long before it powers our automobiles.
"We will all be using these fuel cells to power our cameras and cellphones as well as our flashlights," said Connor. "It's all very well to have a fuel cell in the lab, but to do a job or provide a service takes a little more."
The flashlight is from Vancouver-based Angstrom Power Inc. — Connor is the CEO — based on technology developed by Dr. Ged McLean. Although the prototype would cost about $2,000 to build, it's expected a device that costs 20 to 30 per cent more than a standard battery powered flashlight will last four to 10 times as long and be available in two to five years.
Connor said the $2 million is very much seed money for B.C.'s early stage hydrogen strategy. He said about $500,000 would go towards funding four planning groups and a significant portion would go to a demonstration project for buses to run during the 2010 Olympics.
Connor said the Hydrogen Highway project — which will set up at least seven technology nodes between Victoria, Vancouver and Whistler — can have individual budgets anywhere from a few million to $20 million, with funding coming from the federal and provincial governments.
One such node will be at the University of B.C., where U.S. automaker Ford will shortly launch a three-year demonstration project with four Ford Focus hydrogen fuel cell vehicle prototypes in a partnership with Natural Resources Canada and Fuel Cells Canada.
Business Reporter
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Energy and Mines Minister Richard Neufeld is joined by Dennis Connor, CEO of Angstrom Power, as Mr. Connor unveils a 15 cm flashlight
powered by a micro hydrogen™ fuel cell developed by Angstrom. Source:
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources.